SA promises best soccer spectacle
January 20, 2013, 11:11 am

The opening ceremony of the 2013 African Cup of Nations, 19 January, 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

President Jacob Zuma has said that South Africa will not let down Africa in hosting the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

“As all of us know, the country which had made a successful bid to host the 2013 Afcon was Libya. But because of the political situation that prevailed for most of last year the Confederation of African Football decided to move it to this country,” Zuma said.

“We therefore accepted this responsibility and honour with deep gratitude, as it is a great privilege for us to host this feast of African football expertise.”

Zuma was addressing heads of state attending the tournament in Sandton, Johannesburg.

He said the preparations put in place for the 2010 World Cup had eased the burden for South Africa.

“We are seeing dividends in the infrastructure investment we made before the 2010 World Cup, as these facilities will continue to benefit us and the continent in various ways in many years to come.”

Zuma welcomed all the heads of state and fans to explore South Africa between games.

“I trust that you will be treated to the best soccer spectacle humanly possible, starting from this afternoon’s opening game.

“May this be yet another memorable event for all of you… and may the best team win this afternoon, and obviously in my view, that should be my national squad, Bafana Bafana,” Zuma said.

57 founding members, many of them prominent US allies, will sign into creation the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank on Monday, the first major global financial instrument independent from the Bretton Woods system.

Representatives of the countries will meet in Beijing on Monday to sign an agreement of the bank, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. All the five BRICS countries are also joining the new infrastructure investment bank.

The agreement on the $100 billion AIIB will then have to be ratified by the parliaments of the founding members, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a daily press briefing in Beijing.

The AIIB is also the first major multilateral development bank in a generation that provides an avenue for China to strengthen its presence in the world’s fastest-growing region.